The one flaw in my timebooks is I didn't note who chartered a train. The first half of Sept, 1996 was busy with charters. Some of which I don't recall.... Jim Trowbridge ran his trains either in late June to get the most daylight possible or Labor Day weekend. His regular schtick was a two-day trip to Antonito and back with something less than 40 passengers. This always was a one-engine train. If there was another event to tie it in with he'd put on another one-day event to Big Horn and back. This event would be be marketed by the other event, either a National Narrow Gauge Modeler's Convention, the Rocky Mountain RR Club, etc. The consist was usually the same freight cars as the previous 2-day trip plus a string of passenger/boxes to carry as many as 200 passengers. Obviously, these trains had considerably less photo stops, because of the large crowd and the fact that the run to Big Horn and back itself consumed 8 hours without extra stops.
In the first half of September we had a pair of 2-day Antonito turns, plus one Chama-Big Horn trip:
Sat Sept 7, 1996
in 715am
X463-497 East
497 - Stebbins
463 -Llamas helper
20 cars 358 tons (no mention how many were "freight cars" or "passenger cars..)
463 cut off at Cumbres and right light ahead of us to Antonito
Meet #1 at Osier
Passed by #4 at Toltec.
Ar Antonito 530pm
there is a cryptic note of "463 on ground in Antonito"
Switch train for tomorrow.
tie up 645pm
11 1/2 hours.
Sun Sept 8, 1996
In 715am
X463-487 West
463 - Stebbins
487 - Casias
25 cars (I wonder where the other 5 cars came from....)
Passed by #1 at Toltec - 20 min. late.
Meet #4 at Osier
463 cut into train 10 cars deep Osier-Cumbres
light engine CU-CH
tie up 615pm
11 hrs.
then...
Sat Sept 14, 1996
In 715am
X463East
Conductor
463, 9 cars 159 tons
38 passengers
Meet #1 at Osier
Passed by #4 at Toltec
Arrived Antonito 600pm
tied up 615pm
11 hrs
Sun Sept 15, 1996
In 715 am
X463 West
463- Stebbins
9 cars
Passed by #1 at Toltec
Meet #4 at Osier
Ar Chama 545pm
Tied up 630pm
11 1/4 hours
Tues Sept, 17 1996
In 715am
X463-497E
463- Yates
497 road eng no crew noted
21 cars
365 tons
25 min late at Cumbres (no reason noted)
X463East
Light engine
Meet #1 at Toltec - 20 min late
X463-497West
21 cars
Cut in 17 cars deep BH-CU
Light engine Cu-CH
Ar Chama 630pm
Tied up 715pm
12 hrs.
The Sept 14, 15 &17 trains were organized by Trowbridge. My guess is the 17th train was for a NNGMC.
Last charter for 1996, except post season movie job with 463.
Kyle Rys, was disbanded and sold in Nov. 1996.
